Once Upon a Time
by Shelbey
Summary: Our Time is Here, 3 of 18. Final Jam was over, and though Mitchie didn’t win, she really wasn’t too concerned. She had other things to worry about, and a canoe ride with Shane Gray was one of them. Shane/Mitchie


**Summary:** Final Jam was over, and though Mitchie didn't win, she really wasn't too concerned. She had other things to worry about, and a canoe ride with Shane Gray was one of them. Shane/Mitchie

Mitchie smiled, standing on the Final Jam stage. The lights were off and it was silent; everyone was gone, but she could feel the music in the air around her, coursing through her body. Singing on that stage, doing all of that dancing, and being with all of her friends. Nothing could have gone better than that, nothing in the world could have made her summer any better.

Except… She remembered feeling the passion between her and Shane, the passion that made them perfect to perform with each other, and she wished… that something more had happened than a kiss on the cheek. Sighing, she began to trail aimlessly away from where she had lived out her dream and conquered her fears, singing in front of the entire audience. Pausing, her hand against the wall of one of the wings, she sighed again, her thoughts wandering…

Hard to believe it was over, and she didn't want to leave the happiest memory of her entire life behind at this camp. It wouldn't be the same next year… because she doubted Connect Three would be coming back. And that thought made her sad. What if she never saw Shane again? Things would be left unspoken, and what if the feelings they had for each other now weren't as strong if they were apart?

Maybe she would never feel that same passion again, either. Maybe Shane was her one and only love, maybe he was the only one for her. When she sang with him, she felt better than her best, better than she had ever been in her entire life. What if she lost that?

That thought was more morbid than she wanted to think, so she banished it from her mind. Mitchie didn't want to think anything of the sort because it would never happen. It couldn't happen!

Could it…?

"Hey!" a voice called, pulling her from her reverie. "Catch!" Something hit her in the chest and she grabbed it before it hit the ground. "Nice reflexes, Mitchie." She glanced up to see the perfect smile of Shane Gray before her.

"What…?" She glanced down and saw a life-vest in her arms.

Shane pretended to be hurt, hand resting against his heart. "Don't tell me you forgot our canoe date, Mitchie."

She shook her head frantically. "Oh, no, I didn't Shane. You just startled me."

He laughed. "Well, come on."

--

This time, Shane rowed himself to keep them going for a little while. But he stopped soon after, leaving them stationary in the middle of the lake. The sun was setting behind the trees, and the scenery was breathtaking. Mitchie was quiet as she watched it, a soft smile on her face as the colors of the sky blended together. "It's so pretty out here," she sighed, her hand resting on the edge of the boat.

"I love it," he replied softly, setting the oar down inside the boat lightly. "So Mitchie, did you enjoy your summer at Camp Rock?"

She smiled at him. "Only a little," she teased. "It would have been better if a certain jerk didn't come along."

Slightly offended, Shane defended himself, "Hey, I thought he decided that I wasn't a jerk." She shrugged and gave him an innocent smile. He huffed and crossed his arms. "Well, my summer would have been better if a little liar didn't come along."

Her mouth dropped and she dipped her hand into the lake, splashing water on him. He looked shocked as his shirt stuck to his chest and his hair flattened against his head. "Jerk!" she said sulkily.

Shane reached over the side of the boat and splashed her right back. "Liar!"

"Jerk!" Another splash of water drenched Shane's body. He shook he head to get most of the water out of his hair, but he was still soaked to the bone.

"Liar!" Mitchie got a faceful of lake water that time, and it dripped down her hair.

She leaned over the edge farther to get more water, but her wet hand slipped off the edge of the boat that was keeping her balance. Her legs went toppling over as she fell out, head over heels, so to speak, into the water. It didn't take her long to resurface, her dark blue life-vest doing its job perfectly.

When her head broke the water, she heard Shane laughing loudly at her. It made her frown as he glanced over the edge of the canoe, his handsome face mirthful. "Mitchie, that was amazing," he chuckled, shaking his head and giving her a sympathetic smile.

Mitchie grinned slyly. "What to know what else is amazing?" she asked innocently. Before he could respond in any fashion, she reached out and gripped the edge of the boat he was leaning against and pulled as hard as she could. It capsized and he went toppling into the water after her.

When his head reached the surface he complained, "Now was that really necessary?"

She nodded firmly. "Yes it was. That's what you get for laughing at me, Shane Gray."

A smile graced his lips, and she watched him warily. "You know what you get for doing that, Mitchie Torres?" She furrowed her brow as he swam in her direction. For a moment he simply stopped before her, but she found herself in his arms before she made a move. "This." And he kissed her.

For a moment Mitchie wondered, did this story start with a 'once upon a time?' It seemed that it had to. Shane Gray was her prince charming, coming to sweep her off her feet. And she was the girl waiting for something amazing to happen to her.

It did.

As she put her arms around his neck to return the kiss, her hair sticking to her face, she prayed it would end with a resounding and timeless, 'and they lived happily ever after. The end.'


End file.
